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Fresh towels, pillows and blankets are available upon request for a small fee. The system currently extends across 3,500 miles of scenic coastline with ten ferries providing service to over 35 coastal communities. The AMHS summer schedule covers ferry travel from May through September 2018 on the only marine route recognized as a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road. Story as aired:http://www.radiokenai.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Dorene-on-Booking-begins-for-summer-ferries.mp3 Courtesy of Alaska Marine Highway SystemThe Kennicott is 382 feet long and 85 feet wide, with a service speed of almost 17 knots. Reservations are available for booking at FerryAlaska.com, by calling 1-800-642-0066, or visiting ferry terminal staff throughout the system. The ship has 48 four-berth and 58 two-berth cabins which offer offer sink areas and linens. Onboard amenities include observation lounges with comfortable chairs, a covered heated solarium, a cafeteria-style restaurant, a movie lounge, showers, coin-operated lockers, writing and quiet lounges, and a child’s play area. She is designed to carry around 500 passengers and can carry 70 some vehicles. FacebookTwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享For those who are wanting to secure a seat aboard the poor man’s cruise ship, the Alaska Marine Highway System Summer 2018 Schedule is now open for booking. The M/V Kennicott runs from Homer to Bellingham, Washington with stops in Seldovia, Kodiak, Chenega Bay, Whittier, Yakutat, Juneau, and Ketchikan. For around a thousand dollars you can take the whole trip.read more

Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — During Republican Mike Dunleavy’s successful run for governor last year, he offered few specifics for his vision of limited government but was clear that Alaska residents should get a full payout from the state’s oil-wealth fund. “Nothing should be off the table,” he said. The dividend provides a financial boost more critical for residents with lower incomes and those in high-cost rural areas. Checks have ranged from about $331 a person in the program’s early years to $2,072 in 2015, the year before it was capped. He’s faced criticism for participating in what some see as friendly venues, including events hosted by the limited government group Americans for Prosperity-Alaska, which asked people to register in advance and reserved the right to kick out anyone who was disruptive. Some of the gatherings drew protesters; police alleged one woman yelled at the governor in Nome and resisted their commands, but the prosecutor there declined to pursue charges. Jan MacClarence said she and her husband, who are in their 70s, are moving from a state-owned elder-care facility in Anchorage after 3½ years and into an apartment to avoid the budget stress. State officials have proposed rate increases of between 40% and nearly 140% for Pioneer Home residents to reflect costs of care, though they have said no one would be evicted or barred entry based on their ability to pay. Dunleavy argues the state must live within its means. He says spending is the problem, not the dividend, and sees revenue that would come from new or increased taxes as a pathway to more spending. Dunleavy is seeking constitutional changes that include a spending cap, giving voters a say on tax or dividend changes approved by lawmakers and giving the Legislature a say on tax-related voter initiatives. Key senators have begun kicking around the idea of a change in the dividend calculation. Lawmakers in recent years blew through billions of dollars in savings as they struggled to address the deficit. With savings dwindling and disagreement over taxes and continued cuts, they began tapping permanent fund earnings, typically used to pay dividends and fortify the nest-egg fund, to help pay for government last year. This created tension, with the decades-old dividend, widely considered an entitlement, seen as competing against other programs for funding. “The governor’s looking at any kind of pool of money he can try and grab, and it’s all going into this dividend promise that he made,” Kelty said. “I don’t think that’s right.” Dunleavy has proposed sweeping cuts, including potentially selling a state museum; idling Alaska’s ferry fleet while the future of that service, critical to many coastal communities, is debated; slashing health and social service programs; shifting costs to local governments; and cutting the University of Alaska system budget by an amount nearly equivalent to the cost of running two of its three flagship campuses. Roger Stone, a Dunleavy supporter from Ketchikan, doesn’t agree with everything Dunleavy proposed but sees his budget as a wake-up call that something’s got to give. Alaska has no personal income or state sales tax. He hasn’t said if he would accept a smaller dividend, or how heavily he’ll wield his veto power. He said he’s willing to use “every tool available to make sure we have our fiscal house in order.” But now that he’s governor, residents are learning what it will take to pay a full dividend, and many don’t like their options. A new law that seeks to limit what can be taken from fund earnings calls for a withdrawal of $2.9 billion for the coming budget year for both dividends and government expenses. Paying a full dividend for 2019 alone would take $1.9 billion. That doesn’t include any back-payment. Some see this as a manufactured crisis that doesn’t consider potential new or increased taxes and too highly prizes the annual checks over education and other government services. Frank Kelty, the mayor of Unalaska, a community of about 4,300 along the far-flung Aleutian Islands that is home to one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports, likens Dunleavy’s quest to pay a full dividend to President Donald Trump’s push for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. “I think that they need to take a hard look at what’s really necessary in state government,” Stone said of lawmakers. Once that happens, he said he’s willing to have a lower dividend, seeing that as preferable to a sales or income tax. Dunleavy’s call for paying the full amount this year, around $3,000 each, plus what they missed out on the past three years, was a centerpiece of his campaign. The state wants to hire a consultant to recommend “reshaping” the system and reducing its costs. Dunleavy has expressed openness to keeping some runs going while that process plays out, but no boats are currently set to sail past Oct. 1. MacClarence said being on their own and using food delivery and personal care services as needed is better than worrying every year about what lawmakers might do. Former state Sen. Rick Halford unsuccessfully sued Walker for roughly halving the amount available for dividends in 2016 and agrees with Dunleavy’s effort to pay a full dividend. But he said it isn’t a full debate when options such as taxes on oil and other resources aren’t being considered. As lawmakers have held hearings around the state on Dunleavy’s budget proposals, the governor has begun traveling to make his case. The formula for calculating the amount residents receive from Alaska Permanent Fund earnings is set in state law, based on an average of the fund’s income over five years. Starting in 2016, former Gov. Bill Walker and the lawmakers capped the yearly dividend, at $1,022, $1,100 and $1,600. A full dividend this year would be roughly $2,900 to $3,100. Community meetings and some budget hearings held by lawmakers have drawn big crowds. Hundreds spoke against cuts to the ferry system, a thoroughfare for coastal communities not connected to the mainland road system. Lawmakers and Dunleavy’s predecessor kept the annual checks at $1,600 or less the past few years as they struggled to address a budget deficit that has persisted amid low to middling oil prices and is now estimated at $1.6 billion. Many residents of small southeast Alaska communities travel by ferry with their cars to the bigger city of Juneau to buy supplies at places like Costco, or fly there and take the ferry home. Walt Weller, the mayor of Pelican, a town of about 70 people 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Juneau, called the ferry a lifeline. “When you’re out here at the end of everything — I mean no roads, float planes only — 100% weather-dependent, we’re pretty doggone dependent on that ferry,” Weller said. He acknowledges people choose to live there but said the ferries — even with limited runs — have helped make that possible. “To have people claim that they’re going to give everybody giant (dividend) checks and then rip our road out from underneath us is fairly upsetting,” he said.read more

Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享This year the BP Teachers of Excellence program recognized 21 Alaska teachers, among those are three Kenai Peninsula Borough School District teachers. Pegge Erkeneff, Communications Liaison for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District: “The BP Teacher of Excellence program has been going on for many years in our state, and on the Kenai Peninsula we have so many amazing educators. BP likes to highlight the teachers and show what’s happening in our classrooms.” BP Alaska President Janet Weiss: “These teachers represent the best of Alaska education, and it’s an honor to recognize them with this award. At BP, we’re proud to play a part in supporting their continued success and showing our ongoing commitment to the state and to creating the leaders of tomorrow.” Winning teachers receive a $500 gift card and a $500 matching grant to their school. Teachers also receive a trip to Prudhoe Bay to learn about BP’s operations and paid admission for the Alaska Resource Education’s teacher course. Julie Doepken, William H. Seward Elementary SchoolJennifer Hornung, Nikiski Middle/High SchoolWendy Todd, Paul Banks Elementary School All teachers and educational allies will be honored at an award ceremony in late April, where the statewide BP Teacher of the Year will be announced.read more

WILMINGTON, MA — Here are highlights of the Wilmington Police Log for Friday, May 24, 2019:Police served a zoning bylaw violation notice to a Dublin Avenue homeowner for parking commercial vehicles on the street. (6:16am)A car struck a pole on Andover Street. A 35-year-old female complained of arm pain and had a panic attack. Fire Department transported woman to Winchester Hospital. Vehicle towed. RMLD and Verizon notified. (8:37am)A caller reported a very large turtle in roadway at Glen Road and Faulkner Avenue. (12:55pm)A walk-in party reported their friend hasn’t been heard from in a week. Police put a BOLO out. Tewksbury Police called Wilmington Police and indicating their friend may be locked up. Station officer confirmed. (5:54pm)A caller stated an individual got in his face and started yelling at him in a Lowell Street parking lot after he backed into him. Individual is now sitting in his car. Caller is afraid to leave his car unattended and requested an officer. (7:49pm)(DISCLAIMER: This information is public information. An arrest does not constitute a conviction. Any arrested person is innocent until proven guilty.)Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… RelatedPOLICE LOG for July 27: OUI Arrest; Woman Brings Caged Bird To Town BeachIn “Police Log”POLICE LOG for August 20: Wilmington Man Arrested; Car vs. Tree; Concession Stand VandalizedIn “Police Log”POLICE LOG for July 9: Police Issue 2 Summonses To Drivers; Windows Kicked In At BusinessIn “Police Log”read more

Saudi Arabia`s consulate is pictured from a skyscraper in Istanbul`s Levent district, Turkey on 10 October 2018. Reuters File PhotoThe outcry in the United States demonising Saudi Arabia over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul threatens US-Saudi strategic ties, the former Saudi intelligence minister warned on Wednesday.”We value our strategic relationship with the United States and hope to sustain it. We hope the United States reciprocates in kind,” royal family member Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud said in an address to the National Council on US-Arab Relations, a non-profit advocacy organisation.Turki, to whom Khashoggi once served as an adviser, has also served as an ambassador to London and Washington. His speech denouncing what he called “the demonisation of Saudi Arabia” clearly carried Riyadh’s imprimatur, as he heads an Islamic research center named after his father, the late King Faisal.Turki’s address came after Istanbul’s chief prosecutor on Tuesday said that Khashoggi was suffocated in a premeditated killing and his body was then dismembered.Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, wrote columns for the Washington Post critical of the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Some US lawmakers have accused the crown prince of ordering Khashoggi’s death – a charge that Riyadh denies – and threatened sanctions. US commentators have strongly condemned the kingdom.Recalling that more than 70 years of US-Saudi ties survived previous crises, Turki said, “Nowadays, this relationship is once again threatened.””The tragic and unjustified” slaying of Khashoggi “is the theme of today’s onslaught and demonisation of Saudi Arabia in the same fashion as the previous crises. The intensity and gleefulness of it is equally unfair,” he said. “Subjecting our relationship to this issue is not healthy at all.”Turki reiterated that the kingdom is committed to bringing to justice those responsible for Khashoggi’s murder “and whoever else failed to uphold the law.”The Trump administration is demanding full accountability from Riyadh in Khashoggi’s death. In what it called a first step, it revoked the visas of some Saudi officials implicated in the slaying.The US-Saudi relationship “is too big to fail,” Turki said.Those ties, he noted, transcend oil production, trade, arms sales and investment to cooperation on Middle East peace efforts, stabilising oil markets, fighting extremism and containing Iran, the kingdom’s main regional foe.